One of the great lessons I learned early on in my career was right out of culinary school some 29 years ago. I was working at a little grill in HMB, the place was a fun filled experience mostly due to the guests and the amount of wine consumed. We had a Pairing Sampler on the menu that consisted of ripe cheeses, grapes, apple swans, pears, walnut & prune wafers, chocolate and on one occasion orange wheels, OOPS!! I can recall the plate being sailed across the line, past the 8 burner Wolf Stove and smack dab to my left shoulder along with words from the Sommelier that I did not think she was capable of saying let alone knowing. Yes, all over the orange wheel garnish. Back then I was 20 years of age, sure I had drank wine but understanding it was another thing. It was then I decided to broaden my knowledge and take the Sommelier course.
One of the exercises was to taste a Cab and a Chard with a variety of flavors from a variety of foods. I have used this over the years helping kitchen staff and servers understand how the properties of different foods respond with different varietals of wines, this is still used today in Culinary programs and Sommelier courses.
Very simple, the wines you choose need not break the bank, gather up one bottle of Red and one bottle of White wine, a simple Cab and Chardonnay will be fine, now you will need 4 slices Red Apple, 4 slices of a white neutral cheese such as Mozzarella or Provolone, 4 pieces of dark chocolate, 4 pieces of lemon and finally pen and paper to make some notes for reference. This is a very basic lesson and by no means complete but will offer a great understanding. Pour a bit of red into your glass, now take a sip then taste some apple, note the flavors and changes of texture as they meet on your pallet, I almost forgot, have a glass of water and some bread to clear you palette between repeating the sip of wine with cheese then chocolate and then the lemon. After tasting and noting each of the foods with each of the wines, begin to combine flavors for a deeper understanding. Once you get going on this you will be amazed and understand why I got in sooo much trouble for garnishing with citrus. Do not be afraid to expand this little lesson to nuts and other foods, the more you experiment, the more you will understand, in return the richer the pairings you will serve. This lesson can be done with beers and spirits if you want to put together the perfect cocktail pairing or beer pairing.
One of the most important things is to have fun, share this experiment with friends even make it into a gathering, just remember there is a big difference between tasting and drinking so be responsible and safe.
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